Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

R-JENERATION: Why don't boys call?

Girls flustered, but guys often are just afraid of being rejected

Illustration by MARCUS NELSON/ R-JENERATION

"I had a great time tonight, call me tomorrow?" These are words many girls say after a date. No matter how many times they hear, "Uh ... yeah, sure," in response, there is no way to get used to the anxiety of waiting by the phone.

There is hope some are getting used to the fact that they shouldn't hold their breath waiting.

Throughout history -- as long as there have been telephones, anyway -- boys and girls, guys and gals, and men and women have struggled to bridge the gap, make the connection, and make that first call.

It is a known fact to females everywhere that most males are not considered "phone potatoes." But what is it exactly that keeps a guy from calling just to say "Hi" or "How's it going?"

Jason Melendez, a senior at Southern Nevada Vocational Technical Center, says, "I'm worried about what we will have to talk about, or if it will go anywhere."

Many things can go through a girl's head while waiting for her phone to ring. Briana Parker, a senior at Silverado High, says: "It makes me feel like I'm a big loser. I think that I did or said something wrong the last time we talked, and he won't want to see me again."

It seems like guys and girls are thinking the same exact thing. What factors in to a guy's reluctance to pick up the phone? "If I really like her, I get intimidated so I might not call her," says Mike Sullenberger, a sophomore at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "If I don't (call her) when I say I will, I feel guilty."

Many young men display these conflicted emotions when picking up the phone.

Some people of the male persuasion say they'll call when really, they have no intention to call.

Ryan Herrman, a junior at Sunset South says, "I like to make a girl work for my attention." Sounds like girls aren't the only ones who like to play hard to get.

"Stuff like that makes me feel rejected," says Mary Bada, a sophomore at Silverado.

Maybe it is about time for the gap to be bridged between Mars and Venus, because obviously, the two sexes are not from the same planet. Though the same thoughts keep running through girls' and guys' heads, they are still not on the same page. Until then, she will just have to realize that -- despite popular belief -- boys are not perfect. And he will have to get off his high horse, buck up, and dial those numbers before they get washed off his hand.